Yay Christmas is here - and extra YAY that it is over! I know, I know - how Ebenezer of me but the Holiday season is just as hectic as it is fun. I feel like the excitement of the Holidays builds up and then a few days before Christmas gets here I'm like, "Ok let's get this bad boy done!" This Christmas was a lot more fun for everyone now that there's a little kid in the mix so opening presents and the whole "Santa" thing is going to be fun to start again. I remember being so excited to see what Santa brought me that we kids could barely contain ourselves until 6 am. Now everyone wants ten more minutes to sleep before they drag themselves into the living room with their blankets and half snooze while pening gifts. I guess as you get older the "Holiday Spirit" takes a little bit longer to show up in the mornings.


We started out our Christmas with our annual family part at my Aunt Gayle's house. We've done it for ages and slowly as we've all gotten older, married, and had kids there's about a billion of us there. We're like the St. George Osmonds! Tracy and I decorated Christmas Tree cakes to bring for dessert and everyone ate til they could eat no more (especially me with the Sausage chowder - It's like manna from heaven) and then played the gift exchange game (I'm sure everyone knows that game). We get really into it since there's so many people - alliances even get formed (If you steal that present from me, I'll take that from him, etc...) It's all about strategy apparently. But once that present has been taken three times, it's out - THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN :)


We had our own little Cobb Christmas early on Thursday morning and Lindsay got to open all her presents. I'd bought her some cute Christmas jammies and she looked adorable in it. We didn't go out all on her this year since she's still so little but she got some really cute things, including a stuffed rocking horse which we named him Captain Oats. She was so excited to ride on, fell off him, and then was deathly afraid of it for two days (they have since made peace). Then we went to Grandma Seegmiller's for opening presents and had a yummy Christmas breakfast. It was nice to have everyone down again and we had a lot of fun hanging out and playing Apples to Apples (I highly recommend it). Grandma & Grandpa Talbot came over on Friday with Aunt Abi, Kadi, and Brian and we had a Christmas lunch at our house and opened presents and hung out. LJ just loved Kadi and they had a lot of fun playing together.



It was a fun Christmas but I'm glad for it to be done. I took about a billion pictures so I just made a collage of my favorite ones that I took. I hope everyone's Christmas was fun and that Santa brought everyone what they wanted! Here's to the New Year!

I can't figure out how to make this bad boy bigger without screwing up the resolution so I guess just click on it to make it larger than life ;)

Lindsay & Aunt Tracy

Lindsay & Aunt Kelly (All the toys in the background are compliments of Hurricane Lindsay)

The fish I iced look a little strange!

Teacher and student!

The whole family together!

Sleepy child!

We also went to Santa's Workshop at the Dixie Center on Saturday and Grandma bought Lindsay some cute bows for her hair. I wasn't ever into the big bows that most Moms put in little girls hair because I swear it's like they birthed a bow with a baby attached and those huge flowers make it look like the poor child has been working the mines wearing one of those flashlight hard hats! But since Lindsay's head is bigger and she's got more hair the bows looked REALLY cute. Maybe people will stop saying, "Hey Buddy" or "Big Guy" when they see her. I know it's hard to tell the difference when they're little...but come on :)

We were also able to go and see Twilight on Saturday morning with Jeremy's company. They rented out the theater for everyone so it was a lot of fun! Santa made a surprise appearance and Lindsay was able to have her first encounter with the jolly fat guy. She was not impressed. She's not a big fan of men she doesn't know - which is probably a good thing :) - and didn't care to be held for long. He didn't bring his bag of toys, so I'd feel the same way :)

Fortunately for me, Alyshia babysat her during the movie so that I didn't have to deal with a squirming child for two hours - and apparently she napped the ENTIRE time I was gone! I don't know what it is but she can sleep for hours in strange cribs but when I lay her down at home she's refreshed and ready to go again after a half hour power nap.

Where's the toys?

Seriously though, you said there'd be toys!

I really liked Twilight - I can't say I loved it - but I thought they did a really good job. It's hard when you see the first movie of a series because at the end you still feel cheated - like you're left hanging and with something missing. I still had issues with Bella (which I guess means Kristen Stewart correctly portrayed her insecure, codependent, and uncoordinated character), but Robert Pattison was great as Edward! I liked him much better with an American accent than I did as Cedric Diggory with his normal British accent. Here are the things I liked/disliked about the movie:

Like:

• The Cullen's Makeup: They still appeared human, but had a very different look that wasn't off-putting, but very appealing :)
• James: I loved him as Kevin Volchok on The O.C. and I loved him in this. He's just easy on the eyes, even dirty-looking and sadistically homicidal.
• The Scenery: I've always wanted to go where it rains all the time (a severe lack will do that to you, I guess) and the mountains, trees, rain, clouds made me REALLY want to go!
• The S.....L.......O......W kiss: I think everyone was just on the edge of their seats during the whole minute Edward took to finally kiss Bella. I just wanted to grab their heads and push them together :) I think they'll be a shoo-in for the MTV Movie Awards BEST KISS.

Dislike:

• Edward's Piano Playing: I wish they would have shown him playing more. He only played a brief bit of something that wasn't even identified as "Bella's Song". There's nothing hotter than a guy who can play the piano - so more of that would have made me happy.
• Hairy Edward: If I remember correctly, in the book Edward's skin was continually referred to as "like marble" and last I checked, marble was hairless - which Edward was not. A nice wax would have done some good - or at least a turtleneck :)
• Rosalie's Wig: I wanted to rip it right off. It just didn't look real at all. Maybe she should turn on QVC and invest in some HairDo extensions from Jessica Simpson's line - I hear they're on sale :)

All in all, it was a good, entertaining show that stayed true to the book. Plus I ate Milk Duds while watching so that made it even better. Milk Duds + Anything = A Good Time.

Althought I cannot say that Twilight is as good as pretty much the rest of the female population in the United States, I did change my blog background in honor of the release of the movie on Friday - which we will be viewing with Jeremy's company on Saturday as an early Christmas party.

The books definitely did get better as they went along (number 4 certainly my favorite - although certainly not made for young girls) but I think I can attribute my mild indifference to my complete and utter annoyance with Bella. I was unable to like her character enough which I think affected the books likability - at least for me :)

Here's hoping Kristin Stewart makes me want to strangle Bella less - because my goodness all I wanted to do was grab her, throttle her, and then send her off to therapy. There's nothing I know of that's less attractive than a clingy, desperate girl with next to no self-esteem - although apparently Edward must disagree.

Anyways, to all the Twilighters out there, I hope the movie is as good as we're all hoping and that Cedric Digg... I mean Robert Pattinson, does Edward Justice!

8 TV shows I like to watch:
The Office
30 Rock
Kath & Kim
Real Chance of Love
Rock of Love Charm School
Fringe
The Soup
True Life

8 Things that happened yesterday:
Jogger got a flat tire
Made beef stew - it thickened way too much and ended up more like casserole.
Ate far too many cookies
Tanned
Found a chewed shoe in the backyard. Stupid dogs
Vacuumed around toys cuz I was too lazy to put them all away
Watched Zodiac and then was paranoid that anyone knocking on my door would be a serial killer
Vowed to declutter one room of my house and then ate a cookie instead (See #3)

8 Favorite Places to Eat
Paula's
In N Out
Olive Garden
Scaldoni's
Outback
Wherever I can get a good steak
Out of the cookie jar
At my mom's house

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
Going to bed
Graduating - one month left!
Thanksgiving
Having all the siblings together for a few days
My husband taking off the day before and after Thanksgiving
Not having to teach/tolerate nursery kids on Sunday
Going on a long run in the morning (depending on how early I am forced up)
Getting a pedicure

8 Things on my Wish List:
Prescription sunglasses
A trip to Hawaii
A night to myself
Reading a book from cover to cover in one day
Cookies with no fat and no calories that cause you to lose weight with every one you eat
Neighbors moving
Love handle reduction
8 More wishes

Cute little Pioneer Girl!

Bangin on the drums! - Banging on stuff is her new favorite thing :)

Just havin' a good time - (Aren't her two little teeth adorable?)

Hangin' with Grandma

On another note, Lindsay has been waving for about a month or so - it's the cutest thing ever. It started out where she would put her arm out (like she was Heiling Hitler - I had to speak with her about her anti-semitism lol) but then evolved into a little hand wiggle. So now she loves to wave at everything - mom, dad, the puppies, the tv, random people, even at nothing) I finally got her to wave for the camera (it usually distracts her) so here is the cute video - it's short, but all i could get

I....

I am...
physically exhausted - and usually by 4 in the afternoon. I don't know how I make it to ten o'clock each evening. Purely by the grace of God I guess :)

I'd like to think...
that one day I'll get everything done in one day that I put on my to-do list. I must be too optimistic because it never ever happens. (I might have a chance if i just didn't put laundry on the list)

I've become...
obsessed with toned arms. Before LJ I had really nice toned arms. Now, I refer to my upper appendages as "mom arms." I'm not asking for Jennifer Anistons's arms - just a little less flab, you know?

I think...
Too much. It's hard to shut my brain off at night. Sometimes I name things from each letter of the alphabet so that maybe I might get tired. Afghanistan, Beirut, Canada, Denmark, etc. I know, I'm weird....

I know...
What people REALLY mean when they say something. I have a keen ability to read between the lines.

I want..
To stop watching Vh1 reality shows, I really do. But they make it so hard!! Rock of Love, I Love New York, Real Chance of Love, I Love Money.....somebody please stop the insanity!

I have...
The cutest kid. Sometimes I look at her and think how much I pity any subsequent kids because there may not be any cute genes left :)

I like...
When it rains all day. That rarely happens here in dry ol' SG. We get morning teaser showers or late-night drizzles but a day long rain is a cause for celebration!

I wish ...
My dogs would quit digging holes in the backyard. THERE'S NOTHING UNDER THERE BUT MORE DIRT!!!!!

I hate...
When people don't reach freeway speed at the end of the on ramp. And by people I mean the elderly. And by the elderly I mean those people who should have had their license revoked 4 presidents ago.

I miss...
Doing whatever I want, whenever I want. Spontaneity is a word long since gone :(

I fear...
That our next president is going to screw things up even worse for our country. And considering our two choices are both complete idiots - my fear will most likely become a reality. Maybe I should write myself in on the ballot - or SpongeBob :)

I hear...
Snoring. It must be contagious in my house. Jeremy, the pups, my congested child.

I smell....
The orange chocolate cupcakes I made with the tops that caved in and are now completely useless.

I love...
SCHADENFREUDE!!! (pronounced SHAW-den-Froyd) It's my most favorite word in the world. It means the feeling you get when someone you dislike gets their just desserts. We all know that feeling - don't deny it!

I don't always...
Wash my hair. And I don't care one bit. I could spend an hour getting ready during naptime or ponytail it and have a bit of time to myself. The ponytail wins every time :)

I win...
At Scrabble. Always. Unless I LET someone else win. I once spelled THORAX on a triple word score - please, no applause. (Note - it did not say "I Win without cheating")

I lose...
My keys at least once a day. Everyone says, "Why don't you get a big key ring to put your keys on?" Well, probably cuz I'd lose that too. I'd probably lose my keys even if I had to attach it to a garbage can lid like they do at convenient stores.

I never...
Will like olives or mushrooms. I just won't. Olives remind me of stinkbugs and mushrooms are a fungus people! I can handle them on pizzas, but when I see someone eating one or the other simply because they enjoy the taste I almost gag.

I listen...
To audiobooks while I work out. It makes it easier to concentrate on listening to a story rather than on how much I want to quit and just go eat a cookie and watch Vh1

I am scared of...
Haunted Houses. I refuse to go to them ever since I was emotionally traumatized as a child when going through one I was chased by a guy with a chainsaw - I had no idea it wasn't real! I have since been classically conditioned to immediately cry upon the sound of the chainsaw.

I read...
Anything and everything. I'm never NOT reading something.

I...tag anyone and everyone.

LJ and I drove up to Logan last weekend to visit Kelly and we had a great time! I decided it would be easier to drive up in the evening that way LJ could just sleep in the car and there would be less stops along the way. She did great both up and back, except on the way back we had a major poop blow out - it was everywhere! I'm sure the people pumping gas next to me at the Texaco in Nephi were appreciative of the eyeful of messy gross poop diaper that I bestowed upon them. Oh well - I wasn't about to change her in the WT infested bathrooms!

Poop incident aside, we had lots of fun! We went to the Logan Zoo where Lindsay saw her first wallaby and even got to feed the little ducks all around. She also tried the swings for the very first time! She loved it - until she went a little too high and then she was all about getting out of it. We also drove down to Salt Lake and went to the Hogle Zoo where Lindsay participated in her first shoplifting (they start young these days). We walked out of the gift shop and somehow StickyFingers McStealsALot had managed to lift a rubber frog and hide it in her stroller - I wonder what other treasures she has illegally amassed since she's been able to reach. We also visited a really fun park by Utah State and Lindsay crawled all over the grass, played with the leaves, and even enjoyed a leaf or two in her mouth - she tried to eat a pinecone but I put my foot down and decided that she'd have enough earthen debris in her mouth for one day.

Kelly stayed at our hotel with us and unfortunately LJ was a nightmare to get to sleep or nap. Normally when I put her to bed, if she starts to cry I tell her goodnight and good luck and let her cry it out, but since I'm sure there were people in the rooms next to us I couldn't just let her scream her guts out so I had to force her to sit still in my arms until she fell asleep and then it was a cross-your-fingers game as to whether she would stay asleep when I put her in the crib. And then if she did wake up she would just stand in her crib and cry while giving us the death look so we would just lay still on the bed on pray that her vision was based on movement lol. (Update - she is still not back on her sleeping schedule since our return and currently wakes up every three hours during the night. Note to self: No more trips for a while.)

Non-sleeping and explosive pooping aside, it was a great trip and we were just glad that we got to hang out with Aunt Kelly for a while - she is one of my favorite people in the world! We already miss you Aunt Kelly!

Tag I'm it :
Favorite person (outside of family)?
Alyshia Miller - My BFF since high school. I would be a sad, lonely girl if she wasn't around :)

Favorite food?
I never met a cookie I didn't like :)

Quirks about you? I
can't stand misspelled words and incorrect grammar; I can't sleep with a closet open; I don't like foods that don't go together to touch in any way (i.e. cranberry sauce & turkey); I like my baths scalding hot; I can remember exoribant amounts of useless information

Any regrets in life?
None that I haven't learned from

Favorite Charity/Cause? T
he Gnome Liberation Front

Favorite Blog recently?
TheSuperficial.com - gotta love the celebrity gossip :)

Something you can’t get enough of?
Cookies! When I see a cookie, I can't forget about it!

Worst job you’ve ever had?
LearnKey - I dreaded every morning. My boss was the devil, and sometimes didn't wear a bra.

What job would you pay NOT to have?
I'd have to go with the same as Carie's - cleaning out porta potties - yuck!

If you could be a fly on the wall, where?
At the time of any infamous murder - Jon Benet, Scott Peterson, O.J. You know, to know just what really happened!

Guilty Pleasure?
Any of the VH1 reality shows - they're so stupid and pointless but it's hard not to watch

Got any confessions?
I steal bank pens.

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it?
A long massage, a mani-pedi, a new outfit, and a nice pair of shoes.

Favorite thing about your house?
My bathtub

Least favorite thing about your house?
The neighbors

One thing you are bad at?
I always interrupt

One thing you’re good at?
Losing my keys

If you could change something about your circumstances, what?
I wish I was a little bit taller..... :)

Who would you like to meet someday? Living or dead?
My grandpa

What makes you feel sexy?
A tan

Who is your real life hero?
I don't know........but certainly not Oprah, I can't stand her.

What is the hardest part of your job?
Getting the folded laundry from the clothes basket to the closet/drawers. I can get it into the washer, into the dryer, into the basket, but putting away is something I dread.

When are you most relaxed?
In a hot, hot, bath with a good book

What stresses you out?
Unnecessary messes

What can you not live without?
My DVR. How else can I watch all my stories with the ability to skip commercials, fast forward boring parts, and pause so I can get another cookie??

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists?
I disagree. The definition of a narcissists is someone who is overly obsessed with their image. If I was obsessed with my image, well, then my thighs would be smaller, my skin would be tanner, and I'd weigh 15 pounds less. However, If you have a blog dedicated only to the continual discussion of your looks, outside appearance, or social status, then you might be a narcissitic blogger and then it may be time to let go and let God :)

Why do you blog?
Because I think it's a fantastic way to journalize your life. I have a hard time taking the time to write things down, but I can sure type like a bat out of hell!

I tag: Tracy, Solinda, Beth

We decided it would be fun to go and have Lindsay pick a pumpkin from the patch at the Staheli Family Farm. We drove all the way out there and can I just say - WHAT A WASTE!!! It was the biggest rip off ever! We had to pay $4 each just to get in the fly infested place and then we were escorted by someone who can only be described as as something straight out of "The Hills Have Eyes" over to what they called their pumpkin patch. What follows is exactly what we were expected to sort through in order to find a pumpkin:

I mean, seriously??? Is this a pumpkin patch? I call it pumpkin trash - and a complete waste of $10 - the pumpkin we found cost us an additional $2. We did find a little pumpkin, however - pretty much the only one there that wasn't mutated, molded, unripe, smashed, or rotten.